Beltway Insider: Trump, Revenge, Payback and Impeachment, Bernie Sanders, Paul Weiss, Columbia, Kitty Dukakis

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Sunday, 23 March 2025 09:22

Written by Janet Walker

President Donald Trump has returned to the White House with an agenda, and with a continued brewing unrest among voters, the president, who holds a slim margin in the House, could face a second impeachment in as many terms.

The President's job approval rating, according to The Economist for the period ending March 23, 2025,  has remained constant at 46.0% of those polled who those polled approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness remained constant at 51.0% of those polled. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Will The Mid-Terms Bring Another Trump Impeachment

Donald Trump returned to the White House with an agenda, and it is not the front facing DOGE or other efforts to streamline government. It is an agenda based solely a vendetta directed against the former Biden administration, individuals who supported Biden, and everyone who participated in the effort to hold him accountable for laws he broke or past felonious business practices.

Special Privileges Law

Trump came from the time when men of his stature were given special privileges, a unique set of boundaries offered to the elite in many cities, but clearly in New York City. Special Privileges law extended to many, and few abused it, but knew it was available should it be needed. It's unspoken, and obviously not available for legal reference, it is a quid pro quo system of law for the elite.

Trump is not the only individual of power to enjoy those privileges, others who were fortunate enough to live during this time and under these special privileges umbrella were former film producer Harvey Weinstein, convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, entertainer Bill Cosby, and former U.S. House Representative Anthony Weiner, from New York City, all of whom became so flagrant in their abuses that their special privileges were revoked.

Special Privileges Revoked

After Trump's first impeachment trial for Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress ended in an acquittal, on February 5, 2020, he remained in office. Once the Biden Administration took over and Trump was a private citizen, his actions during his presidency and as a private citizen became scrutinized and resulted in legal action. His special privileges were revoked over alleged interference in the 2016 election.

Over the course of the Biden Administration, New York State Attorney General Leticia James, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin A. Bragg, each initiated cases against the former president. James secured a staggering fine in her civil fraud case which, ordered "the defendants to pay more than $450 million in total, which represents $363.8 million in disgorgement and pre-judgment interest." Manhattan D.A indicted Trump on 34 counts of Business Fraud and secured a jury verdict convicting the former president on all 34 counts. He remains a convicted felon.

Former President Donald J. Trump Found Guilty on All Counts

Building the Hit List

Each of these public servants, along with former President Biden, former Vice-President Kalama Harris, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former 2016 Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton, among others are now on Trump's hit list. Trump's current agenda has stripped each of security clearances including the President's Daily Brief (PDB), access to classified briefings by any member of the intelligence committee, unescorted access to U.S. government facilities, and immediately rescind access to classified information.

Revenge Takes Hold

As Trump's revenge-driven agenda stirs up anger in both houses, the surprisingly small margin of Republican control in the U.S. House (218-215), of just three seats, along with Trump's determined effort to streamline government at the expense of the citizen, is creating the perfect opportunity for democrats to retake the house in 2026.

Should that happen Trump will again face impeachment. Although as in 2020, the Senate which has a greater hurdle for impeachment as the Republican hold the majority at 53 to 47, although two Independent Senators caucus with the democrat which narrows the total needed.

So will Donald Trump face a second impeachment trial in as many terms, if the democrats take control of the house, the answer is unequivocally yes.

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Does Bernie Sanders Have What It Takes To Turn the Tide

Progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, (I), who caucuses with Senate Democrats has taken to the road, embarking on a temperature campaign, as now two months into Trump's presidency, he is finding the American people are thirsty for a plan, any plan that will shelter them from what they believe is an unending storm that will not stop until the small steps gained over the last four years are erased.

Crowds that have greeting the elder statesman, have surprised even him. "About 15,000 people showed up to see him in Tempe on Thursday night, filling the arena and an overflow room, with thousands more waiting outside. "That is insane, I'm not running for anything," said the Vermont senator and two-time presidential candidate in an interview. "People are outraged, and they're frightened and they want to fight back. And this is one form of beginning the struggle to fight back," reported The Wall Street Journal.

 Sanders whose campaign against former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential nominee in 2016, was divisive and aggressive, and included phrases such as "anyone but Hillary." At the end of the campaign season, the 17million staunch Sanders' voters stayed with the Senator, and failed to show up in November 2016. The possibility of Sanders launching another campaign for the 2028 ticket, is possible and also quite possible the same loyalists to the Independent party his progressive platforms may once again sway voters through the primary season and be divisive to the democrats.

Or possibly, America has moved beyond the notion that an Independent cannot hold the office, it's almost as much stigmatizing as a female for president. One thing is certain the American voter is more concerned today, then they were in November.

The Donald Trump they voted for, has yet to materialize. This Trump seems to have placed a bullseye on the backs of his constituents, and even they who parade their trump banners, and bumper stickers are cautiously holding their breath.

Bernie Sanders, who has been joined by House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), whose platform has always focused on the citizen, ensuring health care for all, free community college education, and including services that this government accompanied by DOGE are stripping citizens, each day, from the advances made over the last 20 years.

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Seeing Trump Through Clear Lenses

For citizens who invested in this president, trusting their vote to him, many, and many more, will be forced to find employment after their jobs are slashed so that Mr. Trump can fund tax cuts for the wealthy. The individual citizen has no value against corporate profits, and the individual citizen is expendable when it comes to cementing long term relationships with the nation's wealthiest.

So, as Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez take the nations temperature, and Americans are showing up, and quite possibly they also now understand the party that has their back in times of hardship, and calamity is the democrats and independents,

"The blowback has sparked new enthusiasm for the self-described democratic socialist who pushed for a vast expansion in the U.S. safety net. [ . . .] In the interview, Sanders said the Democratic Party has lost its way. It is strong on women's rights, civil rights and gay rights, Sanders said. "But in terms of fighting for the working class of this country, Democrats have been virtually nonexistent," he added. "They haven't been there," reported The Wall Street Journal. 

Even as 2028 seems a distant future, the formation of a democratic ticket to move the nations back from this leftist position to a more centrist position, in hope to restabilize democracy, or right the listing ship, essentially. The question, however, remains can the democratic party embrace the independent voter? Critical to reestablishing a more balanced representative, is the ability of the democrats and independent to project a unified, inclusive, constituency, welcoming all.

Is Sanders the man that can unify a despondent population of weary democrats and dejected independents?

Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from the newer variants.

For the seven days ending March 23, 2025, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization remained constant with confirmed cases totaling 777,594,331. The total worldwide death toll remained constant at 7,090,776 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated March 2, 2025, from the World Health Organization).

Law Firm Paul Weiss, Makes Deal with Trump, to Avoid Suspension of Services

The International Law Firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton, & Garrison, LLP conceded to President Trump's maximum pressure strategy, and agreed to provide $40 million dollars of pro bono legal services that advance his agenda.

President Donald Trump issued an executive action that would have stripped the firm [. . . ] of its security clearances, limited access of its lawyers to government buildings and rescinded some government contracts with its clients. He asserted that the firm had engaged in "harmful activity" and "blatant discrimination and other activities inconsistent with the interests of the United States," reported The Washington Post.

A former partner of the firm, Mark Pomerantz, was part of the team involved in the prosecution of Mr. Trump's criminal investigation into hush money payments which became the cornerstone in the felony conviction secured by Manhattan D.A. Alvin A. Bragg.

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Columbia University Agrees to Conform

Columbia University has agreed to amend its policies and procedures so to regain the $400million in funding The Trump Administration withheld for failing to address pro-Palestinian protests effectively.

"The Trump administration laid out nine demands for the university to meet as a precondition to start talks about the federal funding. On top of those nine demands, Columbia now says it is already taking additional actions to encourage more intellectual diversity at the historically left-leaning institution," reported The Wall Street Journal.

Kitty Dukakis, First Lady of Massachusetts, wife of former Presidential Candidate, Dies

Kitty Dukakis, who suffered with addictions throughout her public life as the First Lady of Massachusetts and wife to Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic Nominee for President, has died this week. She was 88.

With the glare of a presidential campaign, the hidden secrets that Mrs. Dukakis tried desperately to conceal became known. Her addiction to alcohol and an overarching addictive personality, which although not a medical disorder, is evident in many of her admitted actions and efforts.

"Her intense personality, chain smoking and preference for first-class travel and designer clothes both complemented and provided a contrast to her husband's straight-arrow persona. Calm, button-down and abstemious, he nursed a frugality that extended to flying coach and mowing his own lawn as governor. [. . .] "Michael can take a peanut out of the can," she once remarked. "I eat the whole can,"' reported The Washington Post.

As a person in the spotlight, Mrs. Dukakis, an accomplished social worker and activist for the disenfranchised, used her opportunities to help those less fortunate, with an unrestrained dedication and addictive passion she was unstoppable. Her own demons continued to rise up against her, and in her biography she explained her elaborate disguises she would don in an effort to go unnoticed when she would buy alcohol.  She was a black out drunk and described many times her husband or children would find her lying in her own vomit.

In a rare move for someone in political spotlight she entered rehab, and unable to secure her drink of choice drank rubbing alcohol which nearly killed her. Either she would conquer this demon, or it would kill her.

She decided to seek electro shock therapy, an experimental treatment often used to fight depression. Mrs. Dukakis was desperate to end the cycle of addiction, the pain it caused her family, the lying, hiding, embarrassment and shame. Even as coming out should have freed her somewhat, the demonic parasite of alcoholism that had her just would not let up and this was her last-ditch effort.

She began her treatments June 21, 2001, and the change was nearly instantaneous.

"For Mrs. Dukakis, the shock treatments worked so quickly and so well that she called them a "miracle in our lives." With journalist and author Larry Tye, she wrote the 2006 book "Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy." In speeches and interviews, Mrs. Dukakis noted that temporary memory deficits were associated with the treatment and that she required regular maintenance sessions. But she and her husband became vigorous proponents for ECT," reported The Washington Post.

In addition to her husband, Michael Dukakis, she is survived by her children and grandchildren.

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.